The five main leads were well casted!
Hospital Playlist's main leads were well-casted!!! Especially, Jo Jung-suk as Lee Ik-jun, he is hilarious, sociable, and a loving father; I would re-watch the whole drama to just have a good laugh. Aside from the comedy of the drama, the seriousness of every scene about onto the patients, residents, and professors are well-researched and skillfully written. The writer, Lee Woo-Jung, no only wrote the Reply Series but also the Prison Playbook, I knew that Hospital Playlist will be worth the watch and it is. I just found out that Writer Lee is the screenwriter of variety shows such as Youn's Kitchen, Youth Over Flowers, and many others. This drama has the feels that is truly relatable in many ways, as a student, patient, family member, etc. An incredible piece of art!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A heartwarming, feel-good drama for a chill weekend...
This drama was marked as ‘Not Interested’ by me and for ages, I ignored the signs to watch it. My dad watched it and loved it. My friends watched it and loved it. Even Netflix has recommended it multiple times since its release and I stubbornly refused to watch it.It was only after binging Dr. Romantic and Dr. Romantic 2 in a week that I finally wanted to start this drama. But no! Season 2 was airing and I would have to wait until SEPTEMBER to watch Season 2 so no, I must not start Season 1. What if I can’t wait for all of Season 2 to air once I finish the first season? (I plan to watch the rest of S2 as it airs)
So I put it off. At this point, it was difficult. Netflix showed Hospital Playlist at the top of every list they could think up. As expected, who has that much self-control when the drama you want to watch is basically being served on a platter? So obviously, I watched it.
Upon further research after watching Ep 4, I found that the writers are the same as Reply 1988! It was yet another one that I had put off for YEARS until a few weeks ago and which I love as well, but I digress. And armed with this knowledge, these Easter eggs stood out more to me, from a few seconds of the OST or even a cameo from the Reply 1988 cast. It was nice to see them. My only gripe is the timeline of Hospital Playlist (set in 2019) and Reply 1988 don’t fit particularly well (so that character cameos don’t quite make sense) but I can overlook that for fangirling’s sake.
So what do I like about this drama? Honestly, the list would go on and on. Every scene was meaningful. I could feel emotions for each character, as minor as they each are. But most of all, I love that this drama is mostly slice of life. There’s no super-evil villain out there to destroy what our MCs have built up, and the plot mostly revolves around the lives of our MCs. It’s heartwarming and fun, almost like I’m with my own group of friends that I haven’t seen in a while. I like that it’s not ridiculously fast-paced and suspenseful like other medical dramas, but more realistic, kinda like how one would expect a doctor’s job to be like at a big hospital: dealing with anxious patients, irritating colleagues that don’t pull their weight as well as night shifts, emergency calls, etc.
The finale wasn't my cup of tea, but watching this in 2021, I know there is a 2nd season that will hopefully address the things that the writers left to the audience's imagination. But it wasn't too bad, definitely cheering on a romance between a certain professor and resident!
The *main* thing I don’t like about this drama is probably the fact that the cast is MASSIVE! I felt so confused keeping track of names and faces and honestly, I even forgot the names and faces of characters if they got an outfit change. However, it’s completely understandable why there was such a big cast though. A hospital as big as Yulje would likely have even more doctors, nurses and patients in real life, so I really can’t fault this drama at all.
Other than that, the acting is spot-on, I loved how the actors really brought out their characters, and I absolutely LOVE the soundtrack! Using a song in each episode was really smart! The songs picked really fit the main events in each episode, plus, I got to expand my music taste, so no complaints there!
As for watching it again, I would definitely go through it all again. For this watch, I would argue that I’ve binged it since I finished all of it within a week. BUT, if I’m going to watch it again, I would probably wait a year or so, and then go through the episodes slowly, maybe a few episodes every weekend or something like that. It’s definitely not one that I would binge again.
If you got to the end, thank you for reading this review, and apologies for all the faff…
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This review may contain spoilers
A darn great drama
Alright i have rewatched this show like 20 times im not even kidding i really love this show so so so muchHonestly on my very first watch i was very very confused because the writers and director like to make things go slowly to make it more realistic that's how i intepreted it, so i was like oh alright
Then it all came together and i was like MINDBLOWN
I'm super shocked at how the writer can write all these stories out and make them all come together like wow what kind of talent!!!!!!!
I love how they don't add a cliffhanger to every episode's ending because 1 episode per week will KILL especially it ends with a cliffhanger.
BUT behold they ended the season with a cliffhanger pls i will take the episode end cliffhanger over a 1 year wait anytime i really suffered during the 1year wait Hahahah
THE OSTS ARE JUST SO DAMN GOOD i really love confession is not flashy so much its like my top 5 on spotify and this drama is just so different by making their cast sing the osts every episode, it felt like a flashback to the 1990's
Talking about flashbacks the flashbacks were sooooooooooo good
All the main couples were so perfect, but i have to give it to iksong, i totally did not expect them to be each other's love interest because ikjun was married at the start and songhwa was dating someone
Iksun and junwan were just so cuteetete
Bear couple was not very developed in this season but theyre cute still HAHA
Winter garden though, wow, i really love them so much
I love how they built the friendship like everyone has different dynamics but they just match each other so well
I have so many things to say but im afraid i mighr just spoil it all so PLEASE WATCH IT, it might be slow and confusing at the start but it all works out
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Hospital Playlist is not for those who like makjang dramas.
I found this drama during the times that I am on the verge of giving up. This might sound generic to you but when I watched this one, I never expected that it will gave me that kind of belongingness despite of the culture differences. I owe my life to this drama and to the entire casts. Thank you for saving me. I love you!!!!!!!!!!I found this drama during the times that I am on the verge of giving up. This might sound generic to you but when I watched this one, I never expected that it will gave me that kind of belongingness despite of the culture differences. I owe my life to this drama and to the entire casts. Thank you for saving me. I love you!!!!!!!!!!
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BEAUTIFUL IN ITS PORTRAYAL OF THE ORDINARY...
Though I do hate medical-related stuff, I am fascinated by the lives of doctors and residents working in a hospital and have never have watched a medical drama before though I have always been interested. Due to the rave reviews of Hospital Playlist on social media, I decided to check it out since it is on Netflix anyways.Relaxing and comforting. Just regular people living their everyday lives. And that's what makes it beautiful. I get the same feeling when I watch Terrace House. It's beautiful seeing the deep relationships that form between medical students, residents, doctors and professors all working towards the same goal, to help better the lives of others. I cannot wait to see the second season!
I can see why some people were unsure to continue watching as this drama throws you right in the middle of the character lives, so you are kinda disoriented and confused, especially when so many names of people you don't know gets dropped. However, you quickly get used to it and are exposed to something ordinarily beautiful. You feel like you are a part of these character lives.
On a side note, it's an interesting dichotomy. Doctors are highly respected in society, but they can also be treated quite poorly, being at the mercy of their patients and their families, often getting yelled at and harassed by them. Sometimes, even having to profusely apologize for unintentional oversights or being unable to save a patient. This series shows both aspects.
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Not your typical medical drama
I absolutely loved the drama. I rewatched it about 7 times I guess. This is absolutely not your typical medical drama. The drama depicts medical officers as ordinary people. Drama revolves around everyday life of 5 best friend doctors.Don't let the first episode fool you. You might think drama is clumsy. But it is not. You'll get to experience different kinds of romantic relationships as there are 5 leads here. From mature relationships to lovebird relationships.
The drama has its own fun element too. You can laugh out loud. And you can cry out loud as well. The drama will give you an emotional rollercoaster depending on which episode you are watching.
The actors and actresses are doing their job well. Of coarse there are 5 main characters. So a lot can happen during a single episode. I feel very single character(major / minor) is important to this drama. They make the drama worth watching.I love their acting and their dedication to their roles. Leading characters had to learn musical instruments for the drama. And they all play the songs themselves. They even have a band called "Mido and parasol" now.
Speaking of musical instruments, I have to mention about the OSTs. They are absolutely amazing. I love everything single one of them. This drama has the best OSTs among 25+ kdramas I have ever watched. Every episode of the drama has a band scene. So you get to listen to a lot of music. Because this is Hospital PLAYLIST. And this is my fav playlist.
I can't wait for the season 2.
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I kept falling for each friend in the group! Probably had huge attachment issues to them so I could not wait for more episodes. Personally, I enjoyed this more than Reply 1988 just a little bit more because I love the stories between the patients and doctors (a huge fan of love between people -- weird way to call it, but truly what I most value in life). Hospital Playlist delivered, exceeded our expectations and probably changed our lives too.
In short, my all time favorite Kdrama.
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When Scrubs meets Reply 1988
Just love for this show. This drama reminded me of the American medical sitcom Scrubs with a slighty more emotional touch (nothing too excessive, just the right amount). This drama's biggest plus I believe is the cast. The actors are so well-chosen and the whole cast delivers such a great performance that whatever future project the actors may act in, you will not be able to unsee their Hospital Playlist character. They didn't act, they lived their characters.So realistic, so balanced, so well-written. And here I thought I'd seen everything medical dramas had to offer, but no Hospital Playlist taught me better.
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my HEART. the FEELS.
My first review ever! :DNot sure how this will go, but let's dive into it.
I've watched many dramas before, but Hospital Playlist is the first one I watched while it was airing. The first time I heard about this drama was when Yoo Yeon Seok got casted, and because I really enjoyed Romantic Dr. Teacher Kim, I was curious to see how he would perform in this one. So, I started watching the first episode on Netflix as per a friend's recommendation and was immediately hooked. In the span of that first hour-and-a-half-ish, I cried so much and laughed so hard. I knew right then and there that Hospital Playlist would become one of my favorite - if not favorite - dramas.
As the episodes progressed, I found that I really came to love each character featured in the story. I came to appreciate their roles in the overarching narrative of the drama, and especially loved the way writer-nim and PD-nim had them interact with the main cast (Kim Jun as Uju was especially adorable!) One thing that I really noticed was the chemistry between cast members. I think altogether they were able to portray a realistic and relatable story that truly truly warmed my heart.
Another thing that made this drama enjoyable for me was that there was no dramatic conflict-inducing incidents that are common in a lot of K-Dramas (i.e. hospital politics, a murder, chaebol families disagreeing to a relationship, etc.). The essence of this drama was really just the lives of the doctors and medical staff at Yulje Medical Center, and how they pour their hearts and souls into making sure that their patients receive the best care.
I would rate this show infinity/10 if that was possible at all. I cannot fathom how much I actually love this drama. I have the casting directors to thank for introducing me to such amazing actors - I'll definitely be looking out for more of their (future) work!
If you're like me and enjoy slice-of-life type dramas, and want an easy-going drama to watch, you would definitely enjoy Hospital Playlist. That being said, I can't wait for Season 2 to be released and to find out more about how relationships between some of the characters will develop <3
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But several episodes into the drama, I almost dropped it. I'm not saying that I did not enjoy the drama, because I did. But it was just at the moment of watching an episode. After watching one, I had to find the motivation to watch the next week's episode. Why would I force myself to watch it if I don't like it? I usually would not have. But I really did like all the characters, Junwan was my favourite followed by Seokhyung, and I wanted to know what happened to them, to all the couples I shipped (Please don't hate me, but WinterGarden was not one of them). And when the final episode aired I was so relieved that it was over.
I tried to keep my rating as objective as possible because despite everything it really was a good drama, and I just happened to not like it as much as everyone else did.
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A rare medical drama that goes beyond the wall of hospital. This is a story of friendship and slice of life of 5 ordinary yet extra ordinary doctors. This drama will teach you a value of family, how to treat and be patient with other people, teach you to be more understanding, take a pause and be brave at the same time.
Kudos to the director, screenwriter, staff and the actors for a well executed drama that even the anticlimactic scene becomes exciting and enjoyable to watch.
The supporting actors and their characters are also outstanding that I even gets excited to get a glimpse of their story too. Never a dull moment in Yulje Hospital.
Music: 11/10 that's how good it is. Every week you will not just be waiting for the next story but anticipating for the next song.
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